Batman: Arkham Asylum

In fact, this game is probably the first game I have rated a ten and it not be a role playing game. It also saddens me a bit as Spider-man is my favorite comic book character of all time, however Batman has now claimed my favorite movie based on a comic character in "The Dark Knight" and now my favorite video game. Spider-man has made some good games, but nothing as complete. They usually end up missing an element that detracts from game play such as the fact the web slinging kind of sucks as it is just him swinging from nothing and he might as well be flying or the web slinging is great, but the fighting and Spidey's strength is a non factor. This game though combines all of Batman's abilities to perfection as the fighting is fun and satisfying as you clobber wave after wave of Joker henchmen. His gadgets are done nicely as you throw batarangs, set explosive gel, and use grapples to perfection. Then if you are up to it you can hide in the shadows, perch on a gargoyle statue, or hide in the air vents to sneak up and silently take down Joker's men. The story too, is top notch. I enjoyed the opening as Batman once again escorts the Joker to Arkham asylum for the umpteenth time, only this time something seems strange as Joker seemingly wanted to get captured. Well you soon find out that Joker with some assistance from his crazy little gal sidekick Harley Quinn had a plan for escape and soon after the entire island of Arkham is under the Joker's control. Throw in a mad Killer Croc, the insane Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and the Riddler and you have yourself a challenge. Though the game was never really annoying at any point and the game play was quite smooth transitioning from story point and area with ease. You can solve riddles from the Riddler and it is done a lot better than the collecting in most games of this type as the interview tapes and the spirit of Arkham things do not have to be found in any particular order. That and the riddles may be well hidden, but not nearly impossible to find like in a Tomb Raider game. Granted, there could have been a few more villains added to the mix, but I can understand why they did not try to add everyone as that may have detracted from the story a bit. Mark Hammill does the voice of the Joker just as he did on the cartoon and he does it so well that it is scary. Nice to see he found a niche doing voice over work. Kurt Conroy does Batman's voice as he did in the cartoon too. Great game, I would like to see a sequel, but one of even grander scope as I would love to see one in the streets of Gotham, however they could really bungle that so I am also dubious if they did one like that too.

What a wonderful world! A wonderful game that represent very well the world of batman. I enjoyed very much the gameplay: the fight scenes, the gameplay, the gadgets. The story between joker and batman. I also love the riddles and some iconic characters of Batman. A very good experience of video game. If you are a fan of batman, go take i!

Pros:

• Great story and characters
• Great gameplay
• Amazing voice acting
• Great graphics and animation
• Great boss fights
• Unique horror elements

Cons:

• Lacklustre final boss

Verdict: Thou improved by City, the original is a great game and is a pioneer of the progression of the making of good superhero video games.

9/10

I came to this game after finishing the excellent Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and if I'm honest I did struggle to make the jump. Partly this is my age meaning I'm not as good at switching between controls as I was, but also a reflection on how much I enjoyed AC:B. Once I got over this hump though and got the feel for how Batman: AA plays and works, I got into it very quickly and found a very well designed game that features plenty of colour, plenty of variety and was a good solid challenge without ever being frustratingly difficult (in normal setting anyway).

The game play is impressive; in terms of the straight story you'll be called on to work out how to get to places by using your eyes and the gadgets available to you; you'll have combat where your timing and skills are pushed in terms of pulling of combos, blocking and countering attacks but you'll also have stealth sections against armed foes where you get to be the shadowy Batman - taking them out one at a time and disappearing back into the shadows as your increasingly panicked enemies try and find where you are. These were my favourite sections and I do enjoy the additional challenge mini-games you can do in the same format. Since it is a computer game the story is episodic but it still manages to flow pretty well and be quite cinematic in nature. The cut-scenes are well used and do not come too frequently.

Although not a huge free-roam world like Red Dead etc, Arkham Asylum still has lots to explore and find. The secrets maps help a lot but it still is a challenge and it does add material to the game rather than just charging through the main story. Some of these collectables also add detail and colour to the game - I won't say I listened to all the interview tapes, but the bio files (complete with comic-book pictures) were a nice touch and again added a sense of depth to the game beyond just the story.

I am a fan of Batman but not to the point where I know all the characters, but it was enjoyable to see so many main ones have a large role in the game. The Joker is particularly effective and is well voiced by Hamill but everyone does a good job - Poison Ivy was perhaps the exception for me but that is more down to me not really liking her character rather than a problem with the game. The Scarecrow sections were all great - easy enough to "beat" but the design of them and the flashes into Wayne's tortured psyche were really enjoyable. Speaking of the Bat himself, the game achieves the central goal, which is making it fun to play as the Goddamn Batman! The gadgets are cool, the voice acting is good and there is little more pleasing that pulling off those stealth moves without ever being detected and hearing the fear of the Bat enter the voices and behaviour of the remaining henchmen.

The graphics are excellent. Personally it took me a minute to get used to how much of the screen Batman took up (the view just seemed a bit too close for me) but otherwise it looked great. The Gothic atmosphere is tangible and the detective mode is very useful - the only downside of it was that the detective mode is so useful that you end up running around with it on most of the game - which does rather rob you of the atmosphere and the beauty of the "normal view" graphics; not a massive problem, but a shame for sure.

Overall Arkham Asylum is a really great game. Well designed, looks great, plays great and has a story that engages. The characters are full of colour and are well brought to the screen in terms of looks and voice work while the variety in the game-play means I was using my head, my eyes, a stealthy approach and also having button hammering combat - all of which worked very well together and individually.

The best, yes the absolute best superhero game ever. Well maybe until the sequel at least but this game here makes me wish every superhero adaptation was this good. This game truly captures what it is like to be the worlds greatest detective. The game comes from the Arkham Asylum comics but it is still it's own original thing as well.

Gameplay- This game is flawless you get everything you need to make you feel like you are Batman, you fight like him, get cool gadgets, do a little sneaking around. The AI isn't incredibly smart but when were the henchmen ever smart. The fact they will get terrified as you pick them off one by one that is a truly satisfying feeling. The boss fights aren't that hard except the infamous Poison Ivy fight that is just down right annoying. The game is also great when you set a trap for a henchman and they fall right in it.

Sound- This game sounds amazing the music score is pretty good nothing too notable. But the voice acting is every fan of the animated series cream in there pants. So yes Batman is voiced by Kevin Conroy and the Joker is voiced by the Mark Hamill himself.

Graphics- These look fantastic granted the game is so much easier if you stay in detective mode, but I high recommend just getting out of that and admiring Arkham Asylum and all its glory. What I love is the fact Batman will take damage as the story progresses that is just something story heavy games should have because it adds so much to the game. Plus I personally thing it gives a sense of danger if the hero is getting beaten down.

Story- So the Joker turns Arkham Asylum into his own personal playground but of course he has a more dastardly plan in mind. The player or Batman has to use every tool in his arsenal to stop the crazy clown. In the story you fight The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and there are appearances by other Batman villains as well. This is such a Batman fans wet dream I had a hard time putting the controller down wondering whats going to happen next it is really addictive. The ending sets it up for a major sequel but with how great this game is who would ever complain.

Overall this is in my top 10 games ever. I loved the hell out of this game, if you haven't already played go out and buy, buy , buy it. My rating for this game is Jizz In Your Pants good.